Veep Beat: Rubio Set to Campaign Alone for Romney For First Time

RUBIO HITS THE TRAIL FOR ROMNEY: Sen. Marco Rubio will campaign solo on behalf of Mitt Romney for the first time Saturday in Nevada and Colorado, stepping into a new high profile surrogacy role, ABC News has learned. Rubio, who briefly lived in Las Vegas as a child, will hold a rally at his old elementary school there Saturday followed by a rally in Denver. He will participate in campaign finance events while in the area as well.

RUBIO ENDORSES SCOTT BROWN: Rubio sent an e-mail to supporters of his Reclaim America PAC Monday announcing his support of Scott Brown in the Massachusetts senate race over Elizabeth Warren, who he described as an “ultra-liberal backed by extreme big-government interests.” “Scott and I don’t agree on everything, but I know Scott is a dedicated husband, loving father, and principled pub servant,” Rubio wrote. “He believes in cutting spending, reining in our debt, balancing our budget, and repealing Obamacare. He’s been an independent voice for common sense in Washington, and has kept his campaign promises to the people of Massachusetts.”

HOW THE 1972 VP PICK AFFECTS ROMNEY’S PROCESS: The New York Time’s Lawrence Altman details how the hasty and calamitous pick of a VP by George McGovern in 1972 has motivated every presidential candidate since then to ensure there are no surprises when their running mate is announced. ”Scott Lilly was a young member of Senator George McGovern‘s presidential campaign staff in the summer of 1972, and he remembers the satisfaction he felt when Mr. McGovern chose Mr. Lilly’s home-state senator to be the Democratic Party‘s vice-presidential candidate. But a few days after the convention that nominated Mr. McGovern and his running mate, Senator Thomas F. Eagleton of Missouri, Mr. Lilly said, he came to a realization. ‘It suddenly struck me out of the blue that they didn’t know,’ he said, that the decision to pick Mr. Eagleton had been made without some crucial facts,” Altman wrote. “And he was right. The information he had felt obligated to share with a top campaign aide several weeks before — that Mr. Eagleton had been hospitalized for mental health issues — had never been passed on. Mr. Lilly’s tip ‘did not register,’ the aide, Frank Mankiewicz, said in an interview this year. ‘It was a very hectic time. I must have had not two things on my mind, but maybe 80.’ Today, one of the lasting legacies of Mr. McGovern’s choice of Mr. Eagleton — and the tumult it caused in his campaign — is the microscopic examination of the lives and records of potential vice-presidential candidates, a ritual involving teams of lawyers and consultants and reams of medical and financial records that the candidates are obligated to produce. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, is now engaged in that vetting process. And while he is renowned for his love of data, as well as his caution, every presidential candidate since Mr. McGovern has had the same goal in the vice-presidential search: no surprises.”

CHRISTIE: FOCUS ON VICTIMS, NOT GUN CONTROL New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said Monday that he is “disturbed” by politicians “grandstanding about gun laws” in the wake of the Aurora tragedy and said instead the focus should be on helping the survivors and families who lost loved ones cope with the aftermath of the tragedy,PolitickerNJ’s Matthew Arco reported. “ In the immediate wake of the movie theatre massacre in Colorado that left 12 people dead and nearly 60 others injured, people should be thinking about mourning the loss of innocent lives, not ‘scoring political points’ in an election year, Gov. Chris Christie said,” Arco wrote. “The governor was asked by reporters at a news conference today whether the state should consider tougher gun laws, and Christie responded by essentially saying ‘no,’ but added now is not the time to have the discussion, either. ‘I am a little bit disturbed by politicians who in the immediate aftermath of this type of tragedy, try to grandstand on it, and I’m not going to be one of those people,’ Christie said. ‘I feel awfully for those families,’ he said. ‘And this is just not the appropriate time to be grandstanding about gun laws. Can we at least get through the initial grief and tragedy for these families before we start making them political pawns?’ Christie went on to say that New Jersey has enough gun laws in place and that those already on the books just need to be enforced. ‘I agree with the President on this, I think that we’ve got enough gun laws now,’ he said, referring to President Barack Obama.”

McDONNELL REQUESTS FEDERAL AID: The Washington Post’s Anita Kumar reported Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell requested federal aid to respond to the derecho storm that hit the state weeks ago. “Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) said Monday he has requested federal disaster aid to reimburse local and state governments for the costs associated with responding to the storms that affected Virginia three weeks ago,” Kumar wrote. “Fifteen people died in Virginia. Millions of others suffered property damage or lost power for extended periods of time during a record heat wave. ‘The historic derecho storm and the follow-up thunderstorms required extraordinary response and recovery efforts at the local and state levels,’ McDonnell said in a statement. ‘We have determined that Virginia should meet all of the requirements for federal public assistance. Federal assistance is vitally important to help our localities recover significant costs associated with responding to the storms and keeping our citizens safe.’ McDonnell requested funds through FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which may cover the costs of emergency crews; cooling centers and shelters; debris removal; repairs to publicly-owned property such as roads, water and sewer systems and damage to electrical systems.”

VEEP TWEETS

@robportman: Thx Anthony-means a lot coming from you RT @MunozFoundation: Happy 26th Anniversary @robportman & Jane! (A few days late–Hope it was great)